Earthquake Revelry

Santa Cruz celebrates the Big One with a weekend full of temblor-related fun

By Traci Hukill

POST-QUAKE Santa Cruz wasted no time coming up with irreverent slogans about the disaster it had endured--bumper stickers like "Shift Happens" and "It's All Our Fault" (see page 25) popped up all over town in the months after Loma Prieta. In the same spirit, the town commemorates the 20th anniversary of the 7.1 monster (surface-wave magnitude) this weekend by both thumbing our noses at the San Andreas Fault and engaging in some healthy introspection about what exactly happened at 5:04pm on Oct. 17, 1989, and how far we've come since.

EMERGENCY PREPAREDNESS NOW Crikey! Get that disaster plan together already. Local cops and firefighters will show you how. 5:30pm. Museum of Art and History, 705 Front St., Santa Cruz. Free, but reservations recommended. 831.429.1964.

Friday, Oct. 16

FUTURE OF DOWNTOWN Miss the old downtown? Wondering what comes next? The Downtown Past, Present and Future lecture series concludes with a panel of "local visionaries" describing what they see for our future. 5:30pm. Museum of Art and History, 705 Front St., Santa Cruz. Free, but reservations recommended. 831.429.1964.

COMMEMORATION Who knew the Town Clock had bells? Not us, but they'll be ringing at 5:04pm at a downtown commemoration ceremony with special guest speakers. 4:30pm. Main Post Office steps, Front and Water streets, Santa Cruz. Free.

DOWNTOWN GALA Party at the top of the Rittenhouse Building with appetizers from downtown restaurants, champagne and music by Don McCaslin and Warmth. Cocktail attire, please! Rittenhouse Building, Pacific and Church streets, Santa Cruz. Tickets $30 at www.downtownsantacruz.com.

Sunday, Oct. 18

HIKE TO THE LOMA PRIETA EPICENTER You thought your kitchen looked bad after Loma Prieta. You ought to see the "drunken forest" and geologically new ponds at the earthquake's epicenter in our very own Forest of Nisene Marks State Park. Sandy Lydon and Gary Griggs are joined by California State Parks Director Ruth Coleman on a day-long, reasonably challenging hike to the "Big Slide," the center of the action (a mellower hike is "under development"). This is a fundraiser for the Friends of Santa Cruz State Parks. 9:45am at the entrance to the park on Aptos Creek Road, behind Aptos Station. Tickets are $100 members/$125 nonmembers. 831.429.1840, ext. 103 or by emailing [email protected]